Telephone-booth.



M. C. TURNER.

TELEPHONE BOOTH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1910.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS SHEET I.

WMUHVA UI I WI I II I I I wh m w as ea M. c. TURNER.

TELEPHONE BOOTH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-17.1910- 1 294,02, Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

Tue 3 a c a i MAURICE TURNER,'OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TELEPHONE-BOOTH.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. It, 1919.

Application filed November 17, 1910. Serial No. 592,944.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAURICE C. TURNER, of the city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Booths; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the 1nvention, such as will enable others sk1lled-1n the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to cabinets or booths, such as telephone booths, having special reference to the doors thereof.

In Letters Patent No.822,4:93, issued to the New York Telephone Company June 5th, 1906, on my application, I have shown a telephone booth equipped with a one-piece door supported by radial arms pivoted at the top and bottom of the booth and movable in curved guides so that the door in opening moves into the booth.

This door, known commercially as the receding type, while thoroughly efficient and successful because it effects economy of space, allows of ventilation, and renders each booth self .contained, has, however, some objectional characteristics which my present invention tends to eliminate. The

/ operation of the patented receding door is frequentlynoisy, thus disturbing the conversation of patrons in adjacent booths. This is partly owing to the roller traveling in its groove and partly to the fact that the sound of loud voices escapes through the slot in the booth, and also to the fact that the door is often closed violently. The receding doors of the patented type occasion annoyance to patrons unfamiliar with them, and their mechanism sometimes becomes defective.

The preferred form of embodiment of my improved booth is illustrated in the accompanying drawings where Figure 1 is a front elevation withthe door closed; Fig. 2 a transverse section on line 22, Fig. 5; Figs. 3 and 4 horizontal sections on lines 33 and 44 respectively, Fig. 1; Fig. 5 a top plan view of the booth with the top or cover'removed; Fig. 6 a fragmentary perspective, and Fig. 7 a slight modification.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates one of the cabinets or telefihone booths, aseries of which latter may e arranged under the control of a switchboard attendant, each booth constituting a complete inclosure andequipped with a telephone instrument and a door constructed inaccordance with my invention.

The door 2 comprises two leaves or sections hinged together at their vertical meeting edges to constitute an inward folding closure. The stile of the leaf 3 is hinged to the door frame of the booth as at 5 and mounted so as to just swing clear of the floor. The leaf 4 is hinged to leaf 8 as at 6.

In order to provide an efficient joint between the two leaves and at the same time make provisions against patrons having their fingers injured by carelessly operat ing the doors, I form the meeting edge of leaf 3 with ahead 7 and the edge of leaf 4 with a corresponding groove 8, the bead in the embodiment illustrated being interrupted at the points of location of the hinges 6. By placing these hinges beyond the point at which a person would be apt to grasp the door the danger of injury to the hand is overcome. At its meeting edge each of the leaves is shown tapered or beveled from its inner face to the joint between the leaves, as at 7*. Thi avoids square or angular corners and prevents in'ury to the fingers. I have shown each of t e leaves formed with a lip or flange 9 adapted to close the spaces between the edges of the leaves and the frame when the door is closed. An operating handle 10 is shown on the inner face of leaf 4 at its meeting edge. As clearly illustrated, the bead 7 projects outward from the leaf to which it is secured, that is, at an angle to the plane of the outer face of the leaf. Consequently when the door is fully closed and the leaves are in alinement the bead projects outward from the lane of the outer face of the door (see Fig. 3). This provides a surface around which the complementary groove of the other leaf may turn in assuming the position of Fig. 5. This result could not be attained if the bead were within the thickness of its leaf.

In the top of the booth is shown a track or guide 12, the leaf 4 having a pin or stud .13 at-i-ts top designed to travel in the track.

, ing merely to effect economy of space. The

opening movement of the door as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5, as well as the fully open position shown in full lines, insures ample space within the booth, leaf 4: projecting from the booth approximately three inches when the door is fully open. The leaf 4 is shown provided with a single glass panel l-l but obviously both of the leaves may be so equipped. 15 is a buffer or pillow block on the wall of'the booth .to deaden the sound of the door reaching the limit of its opening movement.

In the use of heavy doors it may be desirable to provide supporting means in addition to that afforded by the hinges. For this purpose I have shown in Fig. 7 the lower partition 17 of the double ceiling formed with a groove 18 in its upper face through which a roller 19 is movable, the roller carrying a bracket 20 secured to leaf 4 of the door. In the drawings I have shown the door hinged at the left hand side of the cabinet but in actual practice when applied to telephone booths I findit more advantageous to hinge the door at the right hand side as viewed from the front, since thereby the user has his left hand free for manipulating the telephone receiver while his right hand is free to operate the door. It will be understood that the door may be hinged at either side without departing from the spirit of my invention a defined by the claims.

The operation is simple and easily accomplished. WVhen the booth is not in use the door is open as in Figs. 2 and 5. The patron on entering the booth grasps the handle 10. In nearly every instance this action with one hand is accompanied by a removal of the telephone receiver from its hook with the other hand and simultaneously the patron begins speaking. Consequently it is necessary for practical success that'the door offer no resistance to closing and that the patrons conversation be not interrupted by noise and also that the action required to operate the door will not necessitate the user moving from his position at the transmitter. These results are fully attained by the described construction. It has been demonstrated that with the handle 10 at the fulcrum point the slightest pressure upon the handle will communicate sufficient movement to the leaves to indicate to the patron the direction in which the leaves move. This point of location of the handle, however, owing to its proximity to the joint might cause the user to pinch his fingers between the leaves were it not for the tapered portions 7 or the bead and groove connection. -This makes it impossible to pinch the fingers, so that the operator may with perfect safety operate the door without turning his head from the instrument.

To open the door the patron within the booth simply pulls the handle 10, thisforce being communicated by the track to the hinge connection between the leaves. A person of average size, to emerge from the booth, moves the doorto the full line position of Fig. 5 thus leaving the outer free edge of leaf 4 projecting but slightly beyond the booth. g

The principal features of advantage to the users of a booth embodying my invention are safety and ease of operation and the absence of noise, the doors themselves moving quietly and the booths beingvirtually sound proof owing to the absenQe of slots and the complete seal provided by the door in its closed position. Among the advantages from the. manufacturers standpoint are that the folding door may be made at less cost than the receding door and may be readily assembled when the booths are shipped, collapsed or knocked down. The door when fully open does not extend so far into the booth as to necessitate slot? ting the seat within the booth. The doors of all types of booths now in use may be replaced by the folding door and the latter, owing to the few mechanical parts, insures a minimum cost of maintenance.

I claim as my invention 1. A cabinet adapted to be entered by the user, a door therefor adapted to be operated by the user Within the cabinet, said door comprising leaves hingedly connected at the outer faces thereof to fold Within 'the cabinet, and having their inner contiguous edges tapered or beveled to provide a space between said edges and thus present no pinching parts as the door is opened or closed.

2. A cabinet adapted to be entered by the user, a door therefor adapted to be operated by the user within the cabinet, said door comprising leaves hingedly connected to fold within the cabinet and having a bead and groove connection between said leaves, the connection being so constructed as to present no pinching parts as the door is closed or opened.

3. A cabinet adapted to be entered by the user, a door therefor adapted to be closed or opened by the userwithin the cabinet, said door comprisin leaves connected together to fold within the cabinet, said leaves having a bead and groove connection, said head projecting outward beyond the plane of the outer face of the doe?" when the leaves are closed, the inner faces 4. A cabinet adaptedto be entered by the user, a door therefor adapted to be closed or opened by the user Within the cabinet, said door comprising leaves connected together to fold Within the cabinet, said leaves having a bead and groove connection, said bead be ing secured to one of the leaves and projecting outward at an angle to the plane of the outer face of the leaf, the other leaf having a groove to receive said bead, and the inner faces of said leaves having'their contiguous edges beveled.

5. A cabinet adapted to be entered by the user, a door therefor adapted to be operated by the user Within the cabinet, said door comprising leaves connected together so as to fold Within the cabinet, one of said leaves having a bead at its meeting edge projecting outwardly beyond the plane of said leaf and terminating in .a bevel on the inner side of said leaf, and the other of said.

leaves having a groove to receive said bead, said last mentioned leaf having a complementary bevel on its inner face, said bead and the beveled portions of said leaves constituting an anti-pinching finger surface between said leaves.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

M. O. TURNER.

Witnesses:

GRAFTON L. MCGILL, EDNA W. THOMAS. 

